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The summer transfer window can be contrasting for football fans. For some, it brings the fear of losing their best player to a rival, whereas for others it brings a wave of optimism of signing a new superstar who could boost their club's fortunes.
And the one thing constant in these two months is the transfer rumours mill. We hear all sorts of imaginary gossip which is really hard to believe. It proves to be a good source of entertainments as it keeps us engrossed in football talk while there is no action on the field.
But among these rumours are some actual stories which turned out to be true this summer as some of the biggest names of football announced an end to their association with the clubs where they enhanced their reputation. Let's have a look of some of these legends.
#1 Cristiano Ronaldo
Fans had been accustomed to rumours circulating about Ronaldo leaving Real Madrid as soon as every season came to and but, to their relief, he stayed. But this summer, Ronaldo's illustrious Real Madrid career came to an end as Juventus announced that the Portuguese superstar had agreed to a 4-year deal with them.
During his 9-year stay at Madrid, Ronaldo won 15 major trophies, including an impressive four Champions League titles. He was already a star when he left Manchester United for a world record fee but he cemented his status as one of the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) at Real where he added four more Ballon d'Or trophies to take his total to five.
In addition to that, he also won three European Golden shoes while playing for Real. On the international front, he played a huge role for Portugal as they won their first major international trophy in the form of Euro 2016.
He departs Madrid as their all-time record goalscorer and Real will surely miss his goalscoring prowess and winning mentality in the coming seasons. Moreover, commanding a transfer fee of more than €100m is no ordinary feat as he continues to defy all logic at an age when most of the players begin planning their retirement.
Finally, Juventus can dream of winning the Champions League this time as Ronaldo had been a major obstacle for them in the past few seasons where they were knocked out by Real Madrid in this competition.
#2 Andres Iniesta
Arguably the best player not to win the coveted Ballon d'Or, Iniesta had been the heart of Barcelona's midfield, especially when he was part of one of the best ever teams to grace the beautiful game.
Iniesta came through the famed La Masia academy and became a regular starter for the Catalan club as his near-telepathic connection with Xavi made things happen in the middle of the park for them.
The scorer of the winning goal of Spain's World Cup triumph, he was an indispensable part of the Spanish team which became the only team to win three consecutive major trophies (two Euros and a World Cup).
After winning 30 major trophies with Barcelona, Iniesta ultimately decided to end his 22-year association with Barcelona this year as he announced his departure to Vissel Kobe in Japan.
#3 Gianluigi Buffon
The one person epitomised Juventus recently announced his departure from the Turin-based club but just when everyone thought he was going to hang up his boots for good, he joined Paris-Saint Germain to grace Ligue 1 with his brilliance.
Buffon joined Juventus from Parma in 2001 and during his 17-year stint with the club, won 21 trophies. Even during the infamous Calciopoli scandal when the team were relegated to Serie B and a host of big names were leaving the club, he stayed on and steered them back to Serie A at the first time of asking.
A 2006 World Cup winner and Ballon d'Or runner-up, the one thing missing from Buffon's trophy cabinet is the Champions League, and fans can only hope that both Buffon and PSG could lay their hands on club football's most coveted trophy this season.
#4 Fernando Torres
A fan favourite at Atletico, Fernando Torres is a product of their youth system and made his debut in 2001 when Atletico were in the Spanish second division. Nicknamed El Nino by the fans, he made more than 200 appearances for Atletico before earning a big money move to Liverpool.
After stints at Liverpool, Chelsea and Milan, Torres was brought back to his hometown by manager Diego Simeone. After largely forgettable performances at Chelsea and Milan, he began to show flashes of his old brilliance at Atletico.
But age caught up with him as he was largely restricted to substitute appearances from the bench and finally he announced his departure in order to make way for the younger generation.
His career at Atletico ended on a high though with a Europa League triumph in their final game of the season. Like compatriot Iniesta, he has decided to continue his career in Japan, where he is going to represent Sagan Tosu.
#5 Rui Patricio
Rui Patricio started his career at Sporting CP as a youth player and went on to make his professional debut at the age of 18. He won seven major trophies with Sporting and was their player of the year twice.
However, recently things turned sour between Patricio and the club's management, as he and many of his teammates were injured in an attack by club supporters at the training ground after missing out on Champions League qualification.
As a result, he decided to terminate his contract with Sporting and joined newly-promoted Wolves on a free transfer. Despite all these unfortunate events, Patricio was truly a legend as he deputised for them between the sticks a staggering 467 times.
He is also the Portuguese No.1 and was part of the team which defied all odds to be Euro 2016 champions.
